EXCERPT
On a sunny but cold Sunday afternoon, hundreds of pro-Palestine activists unfurled a massive quilt on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, calling for an end to Israel’s hostilities in Gaza. The action, which began around 12:40pm today, March 24, attracted over 350 participants.
Titled “From Occupation to Liberation,” the quilt was comprised of 65 artworks by various anonymous artists, some featuring traditional Palestinian taṭrīz embroidery. Other squares referenced poet Refaat Alareer, who was killed by Israeli bombardments in Gaza, and Thomas Kilpper’s “Jenin Horse” (2003) — a 16-foot sculpture that previously stood in the West Bank city of Jenin before it was removed by Israeli forces in late October. As the quilt was spread out across the museum’s main entrance, activists encircled the display, carrying signs that read “We See Genocide,” “Let Gaza Live,” and “None Of Us Are Free Until Palestine Is Free.”
Organizers of the protest told Hyperallergic that the artwork was modeled after the historic NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Prints of the quilt are also available for purchase online. All proceeds will go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the humanitarian relief organization that aids Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere, recently targeted by Israel and the US. The action came barely a week after the release of a group open letter signed by 158 Met workers urging the institution’s Director and Chief Executive Officer Max Hollein to issue a statement in support of a ceasefire and address Israel’s destruction of Palestine.
No arrests were made, despite heavy police presence ahead of the protest. Patrons were still able to enter and exit the museum, some approached by protesters who handed out mock Met brochures.
Source:
https://hyperallergic.com/879985/activists-unfurl-massive-quilt-for-gaza-on-met-museum-steps/